Fab Picks on Joss and Main

Caitlin Wilson's blog is one of my favorites.  It's on my blog roll and I just love her bold, fresh, aesthetic.  Never bland or boring, but classic at the same time.  I was so excited to hear that she was picking out some items for Joss and Main.  In fact, I joined Joss and Main just to see what she picked out and she did not dissapoint! 

There is some gorgeous stuff, I particularly love all the lighting she picked out.  If you're in the market for lighting, (lucky you) definitely check out Caitlin's picks.  Right now, I don't "need" anything, but I'm definitely saving many items in my inspiration folders.  I'll be keeping my eye out for things that I can diy to get a similiar look and vibe. 

These first 2 lighting fixtures are my favorite items from the whole collection.  Both designed by Jonathan Adler. Of course!  So fab!  Oh how I'd love to give them a home...

Check out the rest of the goodies yourself at Joss and Main!



(all images from jossandmain.com)



Minted Promotion - Get Yours!

I found this Minted promo here and it's such a good deal I just had to share with you too.  25 Free Mommy Cards or Business Cards!  How great is that?!  I LOVE Minted's aesthetic and that they gather good design from designers from all over the world!  It's like the best of the best.  Their look is fresh, fun and truly original. 

I've spent way too much time browsing through their site this weekend.  Here are some of my favorites.  Which ones are yours?  Can you guess which one I'm ordering?

(all images via minted.com)



WHY IT WORKS - A Timeless Kitchen

In the midst of my mad state of organizing and decluttering last week, I was looking for inspiration photos to help me style my newly cleared off kitchen counters.  I came across this remodeled kitchen from the Nate Show.  This kitchen is so me!  Classic, clean, but updated and with some twists. 

WHY IT WORKS



(via thenateshow.com)



Loving this kitchen, especially...

• The contrast of the cabinetry on the island.  What a great way to add interest.  Love that the island is simply a work station and does not have bar stools around it.  Something different.  :)
• Chandeliers in kitchens.  I love the idea of making "fancy" be everyday.  Kind of like wearing that fancy dress with a jean jacket. Love it here too!

(via here)

WHAT I LOVE MOST

That gorgeous backsplash tile!  White subway tile is my all time favorite, but man, this tile sure is a close second.  Love that it has the same classic subway tile feel, but updated, new and different.  Beveled Arabesque Tile.  Duly Noted.  :)

*swoon*

Progress...

Another day and I'm done.  Here's what I spent the last few hours doing.  It's not perfect or catalog worthy, but it works.  Bottom 2 shelves are toys in rotations, middle 2 shelves are books/crafts/school supplies.  Top shelves are gifts/games/holiday stuff.

Here'a  big aha I had while organizing.  I thought of my closet like a grocery store where shelf space is at a premium.  Where is my prime self real estate and what do I have there?  I need my most used, most important items there.  I don't want the things that I don't use as often taking up valuable real estate.  Simple, but a little light bulb moment for me.  :)



After



Remember this sad picture from yesterday?



AND...

The counter is cleared!  It seriously has not been that cleared off since we moved in 4 years ago!

 

The cluttered "before"



Lastly, here are bags of small goodies that I've been collecting all year for Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child.  I love putting together the shoeboxes each Christmas and I feel good about passing along all those little toys we don't play with anymore.

Thanks for all the tips and encouragement from yesterday's post.  It is so nice to know that I'm not alone as I'm grumbling to myself, it's past midnight and feel like the end is no where in sight.  I look forward to listening to the message and the book you guys recommended. 

Going through a Serious Reorg...

This is our playroom closet.  Oy.. it looks scarier in pictures.
This is embarassing!


Sorry for the lack of regular posts lately, I am knee deep in a whole house reorganization project.  When we got back from vacation a few weeks ago, I looked around our house and felt like I needed to do a major purge and organize.  I think it was a combination of 2 things...

1.  Being away long enough to come home and see your home with fresh eyes.  It's amazing how after a while, we don't even notice some of the clutter we've live with because it's been there for so long.  Like the pile of "stuff" kind of just becomes part of the decor.  I can't believe we've lived with our dining room as a "storage" room for the past 4 years. 



(Dining room buffett.  This is actually 1/2 way cleaned off.  It was worse.
Still chipping away at this one.)



2.  Being away made me realize how little we really need.  For example, life was simple when all we had was 3-4 outfits to rotate through.  No clothes strewn all over place, piles of laundry to be folded, or even time wasted thinking about what to wear.  Ahh... simple bliss.



(This is one part of the kitchen that never seems to stay clutter free.
Mail, cups, coupons, oh my!)



So... here I am, staying up very late after the kids go to sleep editing, tossing, categorizing, moving, donating, selling, sorting, all of our stuff.  It's a humbling and slow process.  How did we end up with all of "this"?  And do I donate it or try to recoop some of the cost by selling it?  I don't think there's any easy way around this.  Happy to hear tips if you have them.

I'm hopeful to be able to post some beautiful "after" pics in the near future.  In the meantime, ohdeedoh is running a fun 7-Day Toy Cure, a step by step process to pare down and edit our toys.  There are 6 assignments over the course of 7 days and hopefully by day 7, the toys that remain will be the ones that are the most loved and cherished.  I'm jumping into Day 1, Creating an Outbox. 

Let me know if you're in the midst of your own reorganization or following the 7 Day Toy Cure.  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

IKEA FRIDAYS - MEET the STOCKHOLM Side Table

Last week I was at IKEA with my cousin doing some shopping for his Vancouver apartment.  We're going for a a retro/modern vibe.  I'll share his inspiration board with you next week.  That's when we spotted this beauty.

The STOCKHOLM side table.  I love the clean lines of this table and the contrast between the glossy white finish and the wood veneer.  Very cool and current. The top also slides open to reveal storage space for a remote or other small items.  Hidden storage... can't beat that!  All this for $99.

Looks very comparable to some high end looks from Design Within Reach like these:




Adjustable Table E1027,  $1150




Little Friend Fixed Height Table, $892



Makes STOCKHOLM look even better for $99 don't you think?

Have a great weekend!

White Trim - What a Difference!

We all love a good makeover right?  It's even better if it's a low budget, high impact sort of thing.  Here's a link to a great post I saw on Emily A Clark showing what a huge difference just painting trim can make.  It's pretty dramatic, check out all the before and afters!

This is such an easy and fresh way to update an entire space for just the cost of paint.  If you're living with brown trim and want an update, go for white... you won't be regret it.  This is easily a weekend project and you'll be amazed at how fresh and new your whole space will feel!

O'verlays - Have you seen them?

I'm so glad I discovered O'verlays through Making It Lovely!  It's a genuius idea and I think they look just  fabulous.  They are decorative panels that you can use to spice up drawer fronts, mirrors, tables and screens.  They are made to fit on many standard IKEA pieces like MALM, RAST, EFFEKTIVand EXPEDIT, but will customize to fit on other pieces too.  Isn't this just right up my alley?



(all photos via danikacheryl.blogspot.com)



What do you think?  Don't they look great?  Check out their blog for more ideas.  I'll be getting a few pieces later this week.  I can't wait to see them in person and give this sad little guy a lovely makeover!  I'll be sharing the after photos soon.

IKEA FRIDAYS - Meet the IKEA PS CABINET

Happy Friday everyone!

This pick here has always been one of my favorites from IKEA, the PS Cabinet.  It's so practical and I love the clean, retro feel of this steel cabinet.  It's $99 and I think you'll get your money's worth out of this one.  It's one of those pieces that will travel well from one room to another.

Here's are 2 fun links with a TON of photos of the PS in action.

This one here is from Desire to Inspire. 

And this one here is from Apartment Therapy.

(via apartmenttherapy.com)

Now, you see why this piece is so well loved! 

Have a great weekend!
See you Monday!

Maybe a New Office Chair

My office is still a work in progress, and I'm always keeping my eyes out for a great office chair. 

Of course, I'm not talking one of these:

More like this Eames Molded Plastic Armchair:

Or like this Bertoia Wire Side Chair

I thought it would be really cool to have a more iconic looking chair to pop in my otherwise, very IKEA, budget friendly office space.  I just came across this chair that is the front runner right now.

It's the Garden Side Chair from Home Decorators Collection.  The reviews on this chair looked pretty good and how awesome is that blue?  It would go perfectly in my office.  I love its vintage and modern vibe.  It's $79

It's a great value if you compare it to the Pottery Barn Tolix Chair for $245.

What do you think?  Do you have any other suggestions for an office chair?

Design Star Inspiration

First off, I want to thank Jenny of Little Green Notebook for including me on her Maskros Hack Round Up.  Jenny's blog is truly one of my favorites and it's an honor to be mentioned.  Thanks!  :) 

I don't get a chance to watch too much tv these days, but I did happen to catch an episode of Design Star a couple of nights ago.  Are you watching this season?  In this episode, the designers had to redesign rooms in a bed and breakfast.

I love what they did with the headboard in this room!  So simple and a great way to add color and personality into a room.  Just get plywood cut at the hardware store, get batting and fabric and start stapling away!  

Fabric is a great place to get color inspiration.  You can see how different colors play off of each other and if they look great to you on the fabric, then those same colors will look great in your space too.  I draw the same inspiration from stationary or patterned papers.  If the colors work there, they'll work anywhere. 

I really love the dark botanical fabric they used.  I've always liked botanicals on dark backgrounds like these prints found here.  A twist on a classic idea and I love how it instantly looks "cool". 



(via theevolutionstore.com)

  

Aloha! Finds and Grinds from Hawaii

Hello!  We got back from Hawaii a couple of weeks ago and I am just feeling like I'm just getting caught up on things.  It doesn't help that the second I got home, I started a few new design projects... :P  Ahh.. can't help it when inspiration strikes!  I often think about how many other crazy people are out there painting or moving furniture in the wee hours of the night.  Anyone ?  :)  Decorators are quite an impatient bunch wouldn't  you say?  Isn't that how DIY got started?  ("I'll just do it myself."  :)

Ok... so here are some great things I discovered while in Hawaii this time.  First, I found this awesome blog, Oahu Mom.  If you are looking for great ideas for family outings that you won't find in any guide book, you're in luck!  Lisa writes from personal experience and does such a good job of sharing some of the lil' gems of Oahu, especially if you have kids.  Thanks Lisa for making our trip so much MORE fun!

2nd thing... food or grinds as they say.  Man... we LOVE the food in Hawaii.  I could go on and on, but for now, I'll just share about a new discovery from this trip.  We found one of the best combinations out there... peanut butter and coconut!  North Shore Goodies makes these amazing little jars of Coconut Peanut Butter.  So yummy!  You can find them at farmners markets in Hawaii or order online.  I love supporting local businesses too!

(This is as brave as I'm going to get in posting a bathing suit pic) :)

Lastly, here's a funny transition from food to bathing suits.  :)  Not a new discovery, but I wanted to give a plug for Athleta's amazing bathing suits.  I love them and pretty much lived in them during our trip.  They look as good as they feel.  They have some great patterns and what I love most is the construction.  You can move, stretch, reach and swim without the fear of anything falling out that you don't want to.  (so important if you're chasing lil' ones)  :)    The best part is... they have great sales and are having one right now!  You can find suits on sale for just about the same as you'd pay at Target or Old Navy.  Seriously, love Athleta!

We love going to Hawaii and seeing old friends and making new ones.  They always show us the true meaning of aloha and ohana (love and family). 

IKEA FRIDAYS - Meet TROFAST

Happy Friday everyone and Guten Tag if you are visiting me from Germany.  It's been so much fun this week having my MASKROS makeover mentioned in a couple of German blogs!  Welcome!

I have a practical IKEA pick for this week.  For those of you who have kids, you know that toy storage or any storage for that matter is a MAJOR issue.  I'm always on the hunt for good and good-looking storage ideas.  Bins and baskets can get expensive especially if you're buying multiples and I've done the cheaper Rubbermaid tub option.. it gets the job done, but definitely not the most aesthetic. 

So... here I am with TROFAST.  What I love about this system is fairly simple... it comes in ALL WHITE!  White frame and white bins.  Woohoo!  I know, it's a small thing, but so much of the kid storage options come in fun primary colors or pastels, which is great and all, but I get enough color with the toys themselves.  My eye longs for a calm quiet space amongst all the toys and clutter.

I guess the next best thing about the TROFAST is the price.  It comes in all sorts of colors and configurations, but I have this one above, and it's only $39.99.  For another $10-$15, you'll have the bins too!

Speaking of bins, here's a great way to spruce up the ol' plastic bin.  Check out the how-to here.



(via womansday.com)


Have a great weekend!  LAST call for participating in my 1 year survey.   I'm looking forward to incorporating some new ideas this coming year, but more importantly, I want to know who you are and what you're most interesting!  Don't forget, you also get 30% off all the prints at Jones Design Company.  Emily has some adorable prints that are great for your home and make awesome gifts.  I'll be closing the survey and promo at the end of the weekend.

See you Monday.

Pantone 2011 Fall Colors

I know, I know, summer is far from over. In fact it seems like it's just starting here in Seattle. :P  I'm a summer person, so trust me, I'm in no rush for fall. I'm soaking in every bit of sun and letting the kids play late into the evening, but I do love the anticipation of a new season. Out with the old, in with the new, an opportunity for a fresh start in a fresh season. There's something soothing about the natural rhythm of the seasons. I love this verse:

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens

- Ecclesiastes 3:1 -

So, here are the projected colors trends for Fall 2011. Gorgeous huh? To be honest, I've never met a color I didn't like. I think my favorites in this collection are the pinks and the greens... great combo, so fresh! What are your favorites?



(via pantone.com)



You think J Crew's Fall Collection has got it right?





 



(all images via mamasrollingstone.com)

LOVE IT!!

I've already started noticing lots of plums and pinks and the olive green is coming back again from last fall.  Funny.. I knew there was a reason I just bought an olive scarf!  :)  Now... for that pink sweater...

BTW... this is the last week my one year survey will be up.  If you haven't gotten a chance to complete it, I'd LOVE your feedback.  Thanks!